TRENTON
– Attorney General Anne Milgram announced
today that New Jersey has signed onto a multi-state
letter to U.S. Senate leaders urging “expeditious”
passage of federal climate legislation that
would create meaningful greenhouse gas reduction
goals and preserve the ability of states to
impose climate-related standards that exceed
federal minimum requirements.

The
states’ letter asserts that climate
legislation already passed by the House of
Representatives – the American Energy
and Security Act – represents “a
strong foundation upon which the Senate can
build,” but says the House bill’s
greenhouse gas reduction targets need to be
strengthened. Specifically, the letter calls
on Senators to adopt climate legislation that
would set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas
emissions by 20 percent from 2005 levels by
the year 2020.

The
letter also urges that any bill adopted by
the Senate preserve the authority of states
to set their own standards in such categories
as auto emissions, carbon and renewable fuel,
electricity generation emission performance
and building and appliance efficiency.

The letter opposes as “unwarranted”
a section in the House bill that pre-empts
statewide “caps” on greenhouse
gas emissions for an interim period from 2012
through 2017.

“State
programs can be an important component to
federal requirements and a safeguard against
lax federal interpretation,” the states’
letter notes.

“Moreover,”
the letter continues, “allowing states
to go beyond federal minimum requirements
– which is the model of most existing
federal environmental statutes – has
worked well to improve the nation’s
environment over the past four decades and
stimulated innovation through creative state
experimentation.”

The letter is addressed to Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell, Senate Committee on Environment
and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer,
and Sen. James Inhofe, ranking member of the
Committee on Environment and Public Works.

In
addition to Attorney General Milgram, the
Attorneys General of California, Arizona,
Connecticut and Delaware are signed onto the
letter.